Guidelines for Writing a Proposal
A foundation will often ask you to address specific questions in a proposal. If not, this is the general structure of a proposal:
- Executive Summary (1 page maximum)
- What is your project and what faculty/department/college will carry it out?
- What will it achieve and who will it benefit?
- How long will it take?
- What outcomes will you achieve and how will you measure them?
- How much are you requesting?
- Statement of Need
- What is the problem/issue you are addressing?
- Why is it important to address this problem/issue?
- Who will be served by this project?
- Why hasn't this problem/issue been addressed before?
- Project Information
- What are the specific activities to be carried out?
- Who will carry out the project and how?
- Why did you choose to address the issue/problem using this methodology?
- What is your timeline?
- How will this project be sustained after the grant ends?
- Outcomes
- What will be the specific outcomes achieved and how will you measure them?
- Organization Information
- Why is your institution the most qualified to carry out this project?
- Budget
- Prepare a detailed budget in table form and include a short budget narrative to explain each item.
- Include other sources of funding, both cash and in-kind, especially funding from your institution